WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary Elta Group, the Israel Air Force, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense are designing components for the Arrow Mark IV, which will have qualitatively better performance than current versions.
The Arrow upgrade is one response to the threat posted by conventional or nuclear armed Iranian ballistic missiles, Defense News reported this week.
According to the report, which cited Israeli defense sources, the Arrow Mark IV will have a new radar unit, improved interceptor missiles, and other components that will convert the system from a theater anti-ballistic missile defense system into an integrated nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense system.
An official Israel Ministry of Defense source said the new radar would turn the Arrow Mark IV into a completely holographic system, which will enable control of interceptor missiles from any location, Israel Business Arena reported.
Elta is developing the Arrow Mark IV radar, the Green Pine I, which will have a much deeper monitoring range than the 700-kilometer range of the existing radar. The new radar is scheduled to enter operational service in 2009, Defense News said.
Arrow program heads said they plan to gradually improve the system, step by step, including a Mark 3.5 version with improved radar and interceptor missiles, which will enter service in early 2007, the report said.
The upgrade program is part of an Arrow system upgrade program, which will terminate at the end of the 2008 fiscal year. The United States is financing two-thirds of the program, and Israel is financing the rest.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has asked the U.S. Congress for $77 million for the upgrade program for 2007. Israel's Ministry of Defense wants an additional $58 million from Congress to finance accelerated joint production of the Arrow's interceptor missiles, and to conduct research on other improvements needed to counter the Iranian nuclear threat.
The Arrow upgrade program is part of Israel's preparations to counter Iran's efforts to develop and produce nuclear weapons. In the coming months, Israel plans to launch its latest spy satellite, which will be able to spot changes on the ground in Iran, even in poor weather conditions and under cloud cover, Israel Business Arena said.
Congress queries new Trident warhead plan
The U.S. Congress is challenging a new Pentagon plan to arm some submarine-launched ballistic missiles with conventional warheads, Arms Control Today reported in its June 2006 issue.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the defense authorization bill May 11 by a 396-31 vote; the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate approved its version May 4, ACT noted.
In considering the defense authorization bill in May, both chambers raised questions about the administration's new Prompt Global Strike plan, which would substitute conventional warheads for some nuclear warheads on 24 Trident D-5 SLBMs.
Under the Bush administration's proposal, within two years, two dozen conventionally armed missiles would be dispersed among 12 submarines. That would mean each vessel would carry 22 nuclear-armed and two conventionally armed missiles. The administration has asked for $127 million for the plan for fiscal year 2007, which begins Oct. 1. 2006, the report said.
Pentagon and administration officials have said that the change is needed to give the military a non-nuclear capability for hitting "fleeting targets" with a high "regret" factor if they are not destroyed. These might include unconventional weapons threats, enemy command and control elements, and terrorists. ACT said.
However, lawmakers have questioned whether submarines with mixed loads might cause confusion for other countries about the type of missile fired and its intended target. In such a circumstance, they worry that a country might conclude that it was under U.S. nuclear attack and potentially retaliate with nuclear weapons. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have raised similar concerns, ACT noted.
"The launch of such a missile could provoke an inappropriate response from one of the nuclear powers (or) could provoke a full-scale counter-attack using strategic nuclear forces," Putin said in his annual state of the nation address May 10.
Aegis tracks missile targets in Hawaii tests
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System equipped with a prototype signal processor successfully tracked several advanced ballistic missile targets in separate tests off the coast of Hawaii in April, Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday.
Lockheed Martin develops the Aegis BMD Weapon System and serves as the combat system engineering agent for the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency's Aegis BMD program.
During both events -- Critical Measurements and Countermeasures 2A and 2B -- the Aegis AN/SPY-1B radar aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, augmented by the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Signal Processor, provided real-time detection, tracking and discrimination performance against threat-representative targets, the company said.
The CMCM-2A and CMCM-2B tests are part of the MDA's Critical Measurements and Countermeasures Program. The program is an integral part of the MDA's test process and provides participants with the opportunity to reduce technical risk by testing against stressing, complex target scenarios.
The MDA and the U.S. Navy are jointly developing the Aegis BMD system as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Ultimately 15 Aegis destroyers and three Aegis cruisers will be outfitted with the capability to conduct Long Range Surveillance and Tracking and engagement of short- and medium-range ballistic missile threats using the Aegis BMD Weapon System and the Standard Missile-3. So far, 10 Aegis destroyers have been upgraded with the LRS&T capability and are certified for tactical deployment.
The Aegis BSP, which is in development and will be installed on Aegis BMD ships beginning in 2010
